Re: The joy of FORTRAN

On Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:29:48 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

What made powered flight possible was the gasoline engine, and the
aluminium block If the Wright bros hadn't done it someone else would.
There is argument to this day as to whether Santos Dumont beat them to
it...

Someone had mentioned Verne so I got one of his lesser known works, 'Robur
the Conqueror', written in 1886. I'll have to read '20000 Leagues' or one
of the earlier ones. I don't remember him having as acid a tongue as he
describes a meeting of wealthy balloon enthusiasts that are fighting over
whether the propeller should pull or push.

Robur arrives in the middle of the fight and informs them aerostats are a
lost cause, that their new electric engine won't allow control except on
very still days, and the future is with aerodynes, one of which he happens
to have built. He is saved from bodily harm by the balloon fans by pulling
two revolvers, firing shots into the ceiling, and making a get-away.

Santos-Dumont read Verne and lived the story. Santos-Dumont 5 demonstrated
the navigational problems of an aerostat. Santos-Dumont 6 had its moments
too before he won the Deutsch prize.

As far as WWI plane ceilings, the aerostats won the prize.

https://sped2work.tripod.com/zeppelins.html